Golden World
by Alice In Skyland
Summary: Saphir and Jade try make sense of changes in their respective little worlds. Sometimes if you look closely, you can see the gold is just paint. Saphir/OC, Saphir/Jade. Possible abuse triggers later on.
1. Just A Few Changes

_A/N: Hello, and thank you for reading. This story takes place fifteen-ish years before the events of the game _Tales Of The Abyss_, and focuses on the characters Saphir and Jade. Please note that there are original characters in significant roles in this story; however, I will keep the canon characters as close to their original personalities as possible._

_And now we begin…_

***

**Chapter 1**

"See you tomorrow!"

The door shut.

Jade turned away from the window. He always refused to look back when he dropped Saphir off at his house after coming back from the lab. It was a matter of body language, really. If he looked back the little snot might think his company was actually appreciated.

"Gagnon. Drive."

One of the good things about the special project, the military gave him free chauffer service. Gagnon clicked to the horses and they trotted off again, and Jade rested a hand on the window and watched the rain and wondered what Dr. Curtiss wanted him home for. The foster parents rarely called him home, and Dr. Curtiss almost never – usually it was the Major who called for him, asking about some fluctuation in his grades or how the appointment with Dr. Volund went and did she need to refill his medicine?

_Funny how the tough military one cares more than the doctor_, Jade thought – and then, _funny that either cares at all_. Of course, neither knew about the events of ten years ago, so perhaps he couldn't blame them.

***

He knew Jade wouldn't see him, but Saphir always turned back and waved on the off chance that somehow, Jade was looking out the window.

But as usual, Jade wasn't looking.

Saphir sighed almost inaudibly and opened the double doors, stepping inside onto the cold stone floor. His house was possibly the only building in Grand Chokmah cleaner than the military base, but what the base lacked in cleanliness it more than made up for in warmth and feelings of safety.

"I'm home," he announced to no one. His voice echoed off the walls and grand staircase.

"Welcome home, Young Master Saphir."

Saphir flinched as the butler continued his habit of appearing out of nowhere. "H-hello, Keiran."

Keiran bowed slightly, tailcoat rustling. "Mistress Neiss is waiting for you in the upstairs drawing room, Young Master."

"Really? Why?"

"She has something of importance to tell you, Young Master."

"… okay. Thank you."

"You are welcome, Young Master. Now if you will excuse me, I will return to the kitchens."

Keiran bowed again. Saphir nodded to him, and Keiran turned and marched smartly away.

Saphir looked up the staircase, then slid off his shoes and placed them beside the front door. The floor was cold through his socks. He turned back and climbed the staircase, wondering not for the first time why his parents had decided to make the stairs so steep, and took the left side of the staircase when it split.

The upper drawing room was the only bright room in the house. Its windows faced west, and the light of the sunset crept through the window and the rain. The door squeaked as Saphir opened it, and his mother glanced up at the noise.

"Saphir!"

"Hello, Mother."

Lady Carmine Engel wyon Neiss stood and crossed the room to wrap her only son in a hug, smothering him in red velvet and dyed black hair. "You spend so much time at the lab these days, Saphir! I've missed you!"

"I – I'm sorry, Mother, I – you're squishing me – thank you, I have work to do. Jade and I have to finish our project for the Malkuth military."

Lady wyon Neiss raised an eyebrow. "And you still can't explain to me what it is?"

"No, Mother."

She sighed theatrically and went back to her couch. "Oh well. If it's for the good of the country, right? Anyways, I shouldn't complain, as I'll likely be seeing even less of you. I've been speaking with the heads of the Vartanian family, and they have agreed to arrange a marriage for you with their daughter. She's quite a nice girl, not as pretty as I'd have liked and nowhere near your intelligence, but –"

"Wait, can we go back to the part about me getting married?" Saphir felt the shaking start in his hands, the tension that came with fear.

Lady wyon Neiss' eyes narrowed, just a bit. "Saphir, House Vartanian holds great prestige, especially the members from Hod, and –"

"I'm seventeen! I can't get married now!" Moments ago the blood had drained from his face; now it came rushing back so quickly that he felt a little dizzy. "I have the project to work on, and – and Jade –"

"Saphir, you're not getting married _now_."

"… oh."

Lady wyon Neiss gave her "how can my wonderfully gifted son be so stupid" look. "You are to meet her tomorrow morning. If you truly dislike each other, the marriage will be called off. Otherwise you will be married in a few years."

Saphir barely hid his sigh of relief, and felt a small smile come across his face. It would be child's play to scare her away – just go on about the manufacturing machines in Belkend or the like. And if anything went wrong, call in Jade.

"All right, Mother." Then he remembered. "Does she have a name?"

"Clairessa Lunis Vartanian. She calls herself Clair."

It seemed like everyone from Hod was required to have a ridiculously long name. But Clair was manageable – a generic name for a girl he'd see all of once. It fit. Probably she had a line of suitors anyways, drawn by the prestige that came with the Vartanian name – those that weren't going after the Gardios family anyways.

Something clicked in his head. "Wait… why me?"

"Why you?"

"If she's from a family like that she could have her pick of guys, right? So how come her family needs to arrange a marriage for her?"

His mother's smile changed subtly. Now it looked painted on. "Apparently she's very choosy. But don't worry, Saphir, you're such a sweet boy I'm sure she'll love you." She stood up and crossed to the window. "Aren't you hungry? You might want to go eat."

_And now she's trying to get rid of me. _"One more question." Saphir stood too, but turned to the door instead.

"Is this just a mad attempt to regain some of the influence we had when Father was well?"

He felt the air grow tense.

"Of course not, Saphir," said his mother.

Saphir paused, nodded, and opened the door. "All right then. I suppose I'll go eat now. Thank you for telling me, Mother."

_And for not consulting me or asking if I wanted this or even making an effort to lie._

***

It was still raining when Jade reached his house. He exited the carriage, saluted Gagnon, watched the horses drive off, and entered the house.

He didn't announce his presence – the Major and the doctor just knew. Or at least the doctor did, sitting in the parlor off the entry hall. Even then, he didn't show that he knew of Jade's presence until Jade had begun ascending the staircase.

"Jade."

"Father."

Alexander Curtiss didn't look up from his book. Jade Balfour didn't look away from the staircase.

"Dr. Volund called earlier to confirm your appointment for tomorrow."

"Yes."

"The fluoxetine isn't helping?"

"Not in the slightest." Possibly because he'd stopped taking it. "Did you call me home to talk about drugs, or did you want to discuss something important?"

"Yes, actually." The doctor finally put down his book – _White's Anatomy_ – and crossed the room to the staircase. Even though Jade was on the second step, he and Dr. Curtiss stood eye-to-eye. Physically, at least.

"Command is cutting your funding."

Jade felt every muscle tense.

"Five years with no results, research conducted in utmost secrecy, money pulled from the state put into projects that never show with no budget shown to command. Jade, I understand you have the heir apparent's favor, and I have no doubt that your project is dedicated to the good of Malkuth, but the higher-ups are not happy. Your funding is being cut in half, and unless you can produce something quickly it's being pulled altogether."

Jade forced his body to relax. "And the higher-ups sent you to tell me this?"

"You'll get official notice tomorrow. I didn't want you to be startled."

_Because of 'unpredictable reactions'. Because of 'major depression, possible hints of obsessive-compulsive and schizoid, sociopathy, family history of borderline'. _"Thank you for the advance notice," said Jade, trying to hide the bitter cold in his voice. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

He resumed climbing the stairs.

"Wait."

He did so.

"The adoption papers have been finalized. We know it's very late, but you're Jade Curtiss now."

The doctor nodded curtly and went back to his book.

Jade added a snarky _congratulations _in his head. _Adoption papers finalized half a year before I become a legal adult. How long have they been in the works? A year? _Once again Jade resumed climbing the stairs, and this time he made it to the top without interruption. From there he crossed the hallway to his little suite and entered, locking the door behind him.

The bedroom was almost sterile, the bed perfectly made. No surprise – he rarely slept in it. Still, that didn't mean it was useless. Jade reached behind the headboard and pulled out the half-full bottle of red wine. It glowed oddly in the rain-filtered sunset light.

_Here's to the destruction of my life's work and the loss of half my name, _he thought sarcastically, and drank straight from the bottle.

***

_A/N: Although there was a lot of Jade in this chapter, this story is going to turn more towards Saphir soon. And he's not going to have fun. Then again, neither is Jade, if that listing of mental disorders and his apparent teenage alcoholism are any indication._

_Thank you for reading. Until next chapter..._


	2. We Aren't Morning People

**Chapter 2**

Jade woke up comparatively bright and early that next morning – not through any fault of his own, but because one hundred and sixty pounds of Peony jumped on his bed.

"Rise and shine!"

Jade, who rather preferred late and gloom, rolled over to face the wall and pulled the blankets over his head. Peony, however, refused to be thwarted by such a clever strategy, and hit Jade over the head with a pillow.

"I said _rise and shine_, dammit."

With a sigh, Jade rolled onto his back and pulled down the blankets, if only because glares were much more effective when the face could actually be seen. "Your Majesty, while many people in Grand Chokmah would be overjoyed to wake up to your disturbingly cheery face, I assure you I am not one of them."

Peony pouted. "Aw, no love for your best friend?" He jumped off the bed and walked to the window, pulling the curtains wide open. "C'mon, it's a beautiful day!"

Jade shaded his eyes with his forearm. "Close it."

"Huh?" Peony half-turned. "Jade, don't tell me you have a hangover again…"

"I do not. Just close the curtains."

Peony rolled his eyes and closed the curtains halfway. "Punishment for drinking without me."

"I should think waking up to you jumping on me is punishment enough," said Jade, finally sitting up. "Have you ever considered losing weight?"

"Have you ever considered gaining some?" Peony frowned. "I should _not _be able to count your ribs."

"Have you ever considered that sometimes people like there to be a reason for you randomly bursting into their bedchambers and jumping on them?"

"I only did that once before… okay, twice."

"Oh, much more than that. In your defense you weren't always sober." Jade crossed his arms, hiding some of his highly visible ribs. "So what is your rationalization for waking me up at such an ungodly hour in such an undignified manner?"

Peony spread his hands in a gesture of 'not my fault'. "Hey, the military command wanted to talk to you, and since I hadn't seen you in a while I offered to come get you. Simple as that."

"Does that mean there are guards tramping all over the Major's carpet?"

"No. Well, yes, but they wiped their feet." Peony glanced at the clock above Jade's bed. "Oh, and if you don't get up soon you're going to be late."

Jade sighed again and got out of bed, stumbling a bit. Peony raised an eyebrow, but Jade ignored him, instead going to his closet and taking out his dress uniform. Something in the back of his head surfaced – _funding_ – but he pushed it away and went to the bathroom to get dressed.

He caught his reflection in the mirror. It took a few seconds to register as his reflection and not as some homeless person who'd wandered into his bathroom. Jade's eyes were bloodshot, the skin around them red, and his hair was a mass of tangles. Combined with dead pale skin and bright red irises, the effect was more of a demon from hell than a young military genius.

Though of course, those could be the same thing.

Jade tore a comb through his hair, splashed water on his face, and ignored the humming of the fonic lights that threatened to make his headache even worse. He hated the dress uniform – it looked too much like the first part of its name and not nearly enough like the second – but he pulled it on anyways, gloves and all, and stepped out of the bathroom looking like a more presentable demon from hell.

Peony nonchalantly leaned against the bedroom door, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a very familiar bottle. Jade signed inwardly, preparing for a rant.

What he got was "Eat this, we don't want you going to HQ looking like a wino" and a gummi thrown at his face. Jade caught it. Apple-flavored.

"What does HQ want with me this early?"

Peony look startled. "Your hearing. You know? … you don't know?"

… _so _that's _what the funding was about_, Jade thought before his head filled up with four-letter words of the sort he refused to say in front of Nephry. "I get to plead?"

Peony nodded and started to speak, but was cut off by an apple-gel-chewing Jade pushing roughly by him.

He'd only brought three guards this time, Jade saw – Gagnon, Hartell, and a slightly twitchy young woman Jade didn't know. Hartell and the doctor were engaged in conversation, but Gagnon and the twitchy girl stood silently by the front door. With a nod, Peony called Hartell away, and with a "Sorry for calling so early and leaving so fast" to the doctor they left.

***

Lady wyon Neiss thought Saphir would be too worried to sleep, and didn't know whether to be annoyed or pleased that he'd fallen asleep on the bench seat in the carriage. She settled for annoyed because his posture meant that his suit was wrinkling. Still, at least he'd be rested.

"Saphir."

No reaction. She smiled a bit and shook his shoulder. "Wake up, Saphir."

"But the jelly slide is my friend."

"We're almost at Clair's house."

That made Saphir open his eyes. It also made most of the color drain from his face. He sat up, feet together, looking just a little scared.

Then he looked out the window.

Lady wyon Neiss had neglected to mention that the 'house' was a white-brick manor, with high arched windows and curved roofs. All the rooms he saw through the windows looked bright. Saphir's jaw didn't drop, but his eyes widened dramatically as he watched the building go by. He'd expected a glorified townhouse like his – noticeably larger, of course, but…

_Clair must live even better than Peony._

The carriage turned into a courtyard, and then into a carriage-house. Lady wyon Neiss stepped out of the carriage. Saphir tumbled out behind her, hastily smoothing down his suit. The driver stepped down, bowed, and motioned towards an approaching man who by his uniform appeared to be a butler.

"Good morning," said the butler. "I trust your journey here was not taxing?"

"N-"

"Not at all," said Lady wyon Neiss. "I am Lady Carmine Engel wyon Neiss, and this is my son Saphir. I believe we had an appointment with the Count and Contessa Vartanian and their daughter Clairessa?"

"Ah, yes," said the butler. "My name is Reynolds. The Masters Vartanian are currently in the parlor; allow me to lead you."

He bowed, and turned on his heel in a way that reminded Saphir of Jade. He couldn't focus on this for long, though, because Lady wyon Neiss grabbed his shoulder and dragged him after Reynolds.

***

"… a failure."

Peony shrugged. "Guess so."

They left the military base, Jade trailing a bit behind Peony. Sessemann hadn't seemed angry, not at the state of the project nor at command for slashing funding. The Major, however…

"You okay?"

"Yes."

He'd asked for the funding back. Said they were close to a breakthrough. The people in that room, Sessemann and the others, they were the few who knew what the project actually was, and he pleaded its benefits, that it could be used to heal and repair –

And then she'd cut him off, the Major with her glowing red eyes. The other students called his adopted mother the Direwolf, and now he saw why. She tore into him, saying that what was the use in extending this if it was so expensive and lengthy, and with international tensions the way they were they didn't need replication machines. They needed war machines.

And so they decided. Remove half the funds from the project. Put them into Project Tartarus. And if Jade couldn't make a breakthrough with what he had, the rest of the funding got pulled and put into land dreadnoughts.

Also could he please tell Saphir, who wasn't officially military and was apparently too stupid to get the memo?

Jade hissed through his teeth. How pathetic. He'd looked like a fool in front of them. In front of a woman he had to live with and who had legal custody of him.

And he'd thought she cared.

He felt a weight on his shoulders – Peony had draped an arm across them. "Hey, cheer up! Now you have more time to spend with us. And that apple gel seems to have worked, you aren't stumbling around like you drank a whole bottle of wine."

"I only drank half," Jade said quietly. But he'd seen his reflection in a darkened window before the meeting, and had looked as normal as he usually did – which admittedly wasn't saying much. At least only his irises were red.

"Who gave the original order to pull funding?"

Peony shrugged. "Dunno. I'm not in charge yet." He clapped Jade on the back, removed his arm, and smiled a radiant smile that Jade didn't see. "But I do hold enough status to be able to order you to cheer up."

"I respectfully refuse, Your Majesty."

"Jade. I know this project was rather important to you –"

"It's quite literally my life's work, not to mention my chance at forgiveness. Yes, that's _rather important_."

" – but there are other things you need to focus on. Your health, for one. How much do you weigh now? One-twenty?"

"It's a side-effect of my medication."

"Then get a different medication."

"I have an appointment today. I'll mention your concerns to Doctor Volund."

"Jade."

Peony stopped. Jade didn't.

"Jade. This isn't like you."

He expected Jade to stop, turn, give a snarky comment. Even if he said something horrible, it would have been better than what Jade actually did, which was keep walking without a backwards look or a pause in his step.

***

"Thank you."

"My purpose is to serve," said Reynolds, opening the parlor door.

Saphir peered inside. A man and a woman, sitting on silky couches. The woman was icy blonde, the man large and dark-haired. Then he felt his mother pushing him inside. He stumbled a bit over the doorjamb, but managed not to fall and stood at the back of the room across from the pair on the couches.

The pair rose; the woman stayed in place while the man came to greet Saphir and his mother. "Lady wyon Neiss, how nice to see you again!"

"The pleasure is mine, Harold," said Lady wyon Neiss, allowing her hand to be kissed. Saphir noticed that the icy woman made a face. "This is my son, Saphir."

"Ah!" said Count Vartanian, as if he'd just noticed Saphir's presence. "So you're the boy! Well, you look like a good young man. My name is Harold Vartanian."

"S-Saphir wyon Neiss," said Saphir, shaking the offered hand and wincing a bit at the Count's crushing grip.

Now the woman crossed the room, silver dress swishing audibly around her feet. "Carmine."

"Genevieve."

Cold voices, and the briefest of curtsies to each other.

Count Vartanian laughed a bit. "Now, now!" he said, putting an arm around the Contessa's bared shoulders. "Saphir – I can call you Saphir, right? – this is my wife, Genevieve Estrella Vartanian. She's from Hod, as you can tell by the absurdly long name."

The Contessa stiffened. "The elongated names of Hod are a display of status, not an absurdity."

The Count laughed again. "Come, sit down! I'll have Reynolds bring us refreshments, and we can discuss this – unless the young man would like to meet Clair himself?"

"Oh, I think it's a bit too early for him to go meet Clairessa –"

"Nonsense, Genevieve!" The Count smiled down at Saphir, making Saphir realize just how large the man was. "Clair is playing in the garden. Reynolds! Escort Saphir to the garden."

"Yes, sir," said Reynolds, appearing directly behind Saphir, who jumped. Were all servants trained to do this?

"Go on, Saphir," said Lady wyon Neiss. "The Count and Contessa and I are perfectly content to stay here and talk."

A white-gloved hand landed on Saphir's shoulder. "Come, young Master."

Saphir shivered, and followed Reynolds.

***

_A/N: I imagine the Count sounding like Brian Blessed. And of course, Jade has no idea how to treat his old friends or address his new parents. Next chapter we meet Clair and Doctor Volund. Also, thank you to those who are watching already! I have to warn you, though, that updates will be sporadic after this._

_Until next chapter…_


	3. Sunlight

**Chapter 3**

Saphir followed Reynolds down a plush-carpeted hallway. It was cold – or he thought it was. It was the only explanation for his shivers.

"Are you feeling quite all right, young Master Saphir?"

"Y-yes."

And he followed through the turns of the hallways, until they came to a wooden door. Reynolds knocked.

***

"Come in."

Jade pushed the door open. "Eleven o'clock appointment here." He was smiling now; it was impossible to guess that just an hour before he'd lost his life's work and had a fight with his best friend.

Doctor Gabriel Volund didn't guess this, just set down his clipboard on top of a pile of papers and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Good morning, Jade."

"Perhaps for you," said Jade with a painted-on smile. "As for me, I've been going a month with unpleasant side effects from the medicine you prescribed." He pulled his hand out of his pocket. It held a little orange bottle, half-full with pills. "I stopped taking it last week. The anxiety attacks I could handle, the insomnia and headaches not so much."

Doctor Volund sighed inwardly – another medicine to strike off the list – and took the bottle from Jade. "Thank you, I'll dispose of this."

He settled back in his chair, motioning for Jade to do the same on the couch across from him. Jade sat down, though not before fixing him with a look that said "I'm sitting down because I want to."

"So, apart from the fluoxetine's side effects," said Doctor Volund, picking up his clipboard again and writing Jade's name and the date on top of a clean sheet of paper, "how have you been?"

"Oh, just fine. The military pulled my project's funding, the Curtisses adopted me to cut down on taxes, and I may have to kill Saphir for not showing up to a meeting this morning." Jade crossed his legs, steepled his fingers. "Also the medicine didn't work. No noticible changes in mood or action. How have you been, Doctor?"

"All right. How has your impulse control been?"

"Better, admittedly. Though that might be because I'm not healing well."

"Have you sought treatment?"

"I honestly think that a few scratches are the least of my problems." The painted-on smile shrunk into a painted-on smirk. "The major problem is the inability to find a drug that works. You may have to put me on MAOIs."

Doctor Volund laughed mirthlessly. "If it's side effects you're worried about, you might want to stick with the SSRIs."

"I know." Jade leaned forwards, a simple gesture that made him look much more predatory. "But it's not the side effects that worry me, it's the intended effects. The last drug you had me on failed to have the intended effect and succeeded in having most of the side effects. I'd like something that does the opposite."

Doctor Volund found that he had moved away from Jade's chair. "There's no way to tell without actually trying, though. And you're ignoring the possibilities of therapy. The medicines can't do everything – just talking does help."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "I'd prefer the medicine."

"You'd have to have blood work to make sure the MAOIs won't interfere with your fonic chemistry, not to mention I won't be able to prescribe medicine for you for a week because of probable negative interaction with your current medication –"

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Good." Jade stood. "I'll schedule the blood work appointment tomorrow, then. Thank you, Doctor."

"Jade, this appointment isn't over."

Jade glanced quizzically over his shoulder. "Of course it is. The point of these sessions is to help, and when you can help no more the patient leaves."

"There is something you're not telling me." Doctor Volund stood, though he made sure to keep his desk between him and Jade. "Something you can't accept. Until you start working towards acceptance of whatever that is, all the medicines in the world won't help you. They can make you feel better for a time, yes, but it's just a matter of time until whatever that is buried in your mind eats away at you."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Three years seeing you, and that's the longest I've ever heard you talk." He turned back towards the door. "As for whatever it is that's buried in my mind, I can deal with that myself. Even if the military has pulled my funding."

_I seem to be walking out on people a lot recently_, he added. Doctor Volund began to respond, but Jade stepped out of the room and closed the door.

***

The door swung open. "Young Master Saphir has arrived."

Saphir felt the sunlight strike his face, followed quickly by the sweet scent of roses. They were everywhere – white, red, pink, yellow, even some so dark as to be almost black – all against the blue sky and white walls and bright green grass. In the middle of all the roses sat a bench, and on the middle of the bench sat a girl in a blue dress. She spared a glance for Saphir, then turned back to –

"Is that a Star-And-Cross V-22?"

The girl looked up again, and this time Saphir got a better look at her – round face, blue eyes open wide.

"How did you know?"

Saphir walked through the roses and put a hand on the engine. "Only Star-And-Cross aligns their cylinders in a V-shape, hence the V in the name, and this is too small to be a V-20 or 21 – those are only for bigger vehicles, where the 22 is for single-or-doubles."

He turned to meet the girl's eyes. They really were blue, and shone like sapphires. "I'm Saphir. Saphir wyon Neiss."

The girl put down the pliers in her hand and extended it to shake. "Clairessa Lunis Vartanian. You can call me Clair."

Saphir tentatively shook her hand, and then she smiled, brushing a lock of black hair behind her ear. "Do you know how to repair it?"

"Of course." Saphir sat down on the other side of the engine, all thoughts of driving Clair away gone. "You disconnected the fonstones, right? Yes, you did… ah, the pistons aren't connected correctly. See, the crankshaft can't turn properly. Do you have a – you do have a wrench. Thank you… there. Now just reconnect the fonstones."

"That was it?"

"I've repaired the 20s too many times to count and helped design the 21. Fixing this is child's play."

"You _designed _the 21?!"

Saphir blushed. "W-well, I sent a letter to the head of Star-And-Cross about the 20's numerous mechanical defects, a-and he offered to let me help make the 21. I-I didn't do it all by myself or anything, there were a lot of more experienced engineers –"

"That's still amazing!" Clair's eyes shone. "Maybe I should talk to my uncle and put you on Project Tartarus."

"N-no, I'm already working on a military project – i-it's top secret, I'm sorry."

"Aw." She looked away, then back. "Still, you're on a top-secret project! That's really special!"

Something in the back of Saphir's mind registered that Clair had probably gotten her speaking habits from her father. "T-thank you. Um, what were you going to do with this?"

Clair shrugged. "Father brought it to me and wanted to see if I could get it working again. He didn't want to pay to get it repaired, I guess. I'm not really experienced with fonic technology, not like you are, but I like taking things apart, and I've watched Reynolds doing minor repairs on the vehicles… say, you came in a carriage, right? Why don't you have a vehicle?"

"Because" _Father can't work anymore and Mother can't save up money for anything that's not for her alone _"I'm away all the time and Mother didn't want to do all the maintenance. I mean, the vehicles are nice, but they're expensive and unreliable. She'd rather employ someone to feed the horses."

"I'd rather have horses. They aren't as noisy, and you can ride them if you don't want to be in a carriage."

"Yes, but you have to feed and groom horses."

"You have to feed and groom engines too, though." Clair brushed a hand against the V-22. "You have to make sure the fonstones are in working condition, recarve the glyphs if they wear down, keep it oiled and with a steady supply of fonons."

She looked up, sapphire eyes meeting Saphir's lavender. There was a moment of silence.

Then Clair smiled again. "I think we're going to be good friends," she said, hand clenching around the pliers.

***

Jade stepped outside, took a deep breath. The sun beat down on his shoulders. Time to go back to the house, maybe read or write or find a nice dark corner to nap in. Maybe go find Saphir when he wasn't in a mood to mutilate the first person to cross his path.

It took a few moments for him to realize he was walking the wrong way. Back to the lab. He paused, but then kept walking. Might as well clear out – take the smaller things he'd left there, come back later with a cart for the bigger things. Not that he couldn't carry everything in one trip, he just wasn't in the mood to walk down the street draped in blankets. But the little things, his change of clothes and his books, he could manage.

He crossed the bridge over the main canal. The sunlight reflected off the water, making patterns on the canal walls and on the bridge. As usual, the water asked him for a kiss, and as usual he said _no, not today_.

***

_A/N: So here's Clair and the doc. The doc won't be showing up in person much, though. Jade's little ending thought there is a reference to a very short poem that I like, and fluoxetine is a real medicine. SSRIs and MAOIs are also real designations for antidepressants. In real life MAOIs interact with a surprising number of other medications; in-story I added on that they also interact with certain combinations of fonons in the body, which is why Jade has to get his blood tested._

_Let's see – very nice, pretty eyes, rich family, both girly and tomboyish, engaged to a major character who shows no romantic or sexual interest in anyone except Jade, just happens to share this character's interests, and she's damn cute. Any Mary-Sue traits I missed? ;) Don't worry, Clair won't finish this story in any manner resembling the one in which she starts it. That would be boring, now, wouldn't it?_

_Until next chapter…_


	4. ByeBye For The First Time

**Chapter 4**

"… and you should have seen his face when he realized his name was on the patent! Well, we do get some of the money from the sales of his precious engines, so it all worked out well in the end."

Count and Contessa Vartanian exchanged glances. The Contessa's said, _let's have Clairessa contract a spontaneous illness so we can get rid of this damned woman. _The Count's answered, _oh, but she hasn't run to us crying yet, she must like the boy…_

The Contessa crossed her legs and said smoothly, "Carmine, you mentioned earlier your son was involved in the military?"

"He's not part of the military, no, but he is working on a joint project with the Curtiss' child – the one they're fostering."

"Ah, the Balfour boy." Count Vartanian smiled. "I've never met him in person, of course, but his parents were wonderful people. Met them many times at our summer home in Keterburg. Sarah in particular, especially on sunny days – I can't really speak for Jasper, seeing as he was in and out of the hospital so often."

"Not like Davis," added the Contessa.

Lady wyon Neiss' eyes narrowed. "Well, we can't all be blessed with health," she said. _Or good impulse control. _"I assure you that my Saphir in no way takes after him."

"Of course, of course," said the Count in an obvious attempt to break the tension. "Well, it's been a few hours, Clair hasn't come to us with any complaints and Saphir hasn't come to you in tears, so I assume they're getting along well. Shall we go check on them?"

He rose and motioned for the two women to follow suit. After the briefest exchange of glares, they did.

***

"And you know the heir apparent? I've only met him once, there was a party that Father had to go to, but the Gardioses were there and then he came in, even though he was supposed to be in Chesedonia! Does he always do things like that?"

"Of course. When Jade and I were little he'd randomly show up at our school."

"You went to _school _with him?!"

Clair hadn't said much about herself, just asked about him. The initial shyness had worn off, and Saphir had proceeded to get drunk on questions and flattery and the heady smell of roses. The sound of the door opening, however, snapped him back to sobriety.

"Is – is something wrong?"

"You two were just so quiet, we wanted to make sure you hadn't killed each other!" said the Count, and laughed. Saphir laughed nervously with him. Clair didn't.

"Father, does Saphir have to go now?"

Saphir saw his mother and the Contessa exchange a venomous glance behind the Count's back. "Saphir does have to go back to the laboratory to work on the project," said Lady wyon Neiss. "Isn't that right, Saphir? I'm sure Jade needs your help."

"I – "

"But it's not late yet!" Clair burst out. "Surely he can stay another hour?"

"No," said the Contessa. "Carmine and I were talking, and we decided it would be best for Saphir to leave now. He can come visit another time."

Clair's eyes narrowed, and she turned her gaze to the ground. "Fine."

That one word held as much venom as anything Jade had ever said. Saphir thought it a testament to the strength of the Contessa – or maybe her sheer stubbornness – that she didn't flinch. "Don't act childish, Clair. You have literal years to play with him. Besides, you're almost an adult now."

"On the bright side, at least you like him!" said the Count. "Imagine how this would have gone if we'd brought you one of those filthy boys you see walking the street!"

"Mother wouldn't have let him cross the threshold. The point is moot."

The Count's smile faltered a bit. "Well. Clair, you can't keep him here forever. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?" He turned to look at Lady wyon Neiss. "I apologize, Carmine –"

"Oh, it's not a problem. Come, Saphir." His mother smiled. "You can come visit again soon."

"Tomorrow?" said Clair, looking up at Saphir.

Saphir faltered. "W-well, I took a lot of time off today, I have to make that up tomorrow working with Jade –"

"Aw. Day after?"

"O-okay."

Clair smiled her bright smile. "Yay! Thank you!"

Saphir smiled weakly back. "Okay," he said again, and stood and walked away. "Goodbye, Clair."

"Byebye, Saphir!"

***

It was only after he reached the military base that he remembered oh yes, the higher-ups were still here. Sadly, he only remembered this after the Major stepped out of the building. He tried to avoid her, but she locked eyes with him.

Jade mentally cursed before putting on the most pleasant smile he could, which under the circumstances made him look like he'd rather tear the Major's throat out than hold a conversation. "Oh, hello."

"Hello again, Jade." Major Katarina Curtiss' smile wasn't much more sincere, but at least it looked more practiced. "I really am sorry for what happened. I know this project was very important to you."

"Oh, that's all right," Jade said with a wave of his hand and his smile dropping a few notches in the sincerity department. "After all, the world needs war machines much more than it needs a way to heal, reconstruct, perhaps even bring back the unjustly killed. I completely understand."

The Major's smile vanished completely. "Sergeant Curtiss, if you acted this way under my command you would be turned out."

"Bit too late for that, isn't it? The adoption papers _are_ legally binding," Jade said, noting with a sort of disturbing satisfaction the shift from _Jade _to _Sergeant Curtiss_.

"You understand the state of international affairs," continued the Major with no sign that she'd heard Jade. "And you understand the Score. It is very likely that there will be an attack soon. We have to be ready."

A thousand comments leapt to Jade's mind, but he pushed them down. _Did the Score predict the monster I created?_

Besides, it was disheartening to the opponent if they never got the last word.

He turned away, heading for the door to the laboratories. _My argument still holds_. "I'll just go clear out the laboratory, then. We might need it to prepare the war machines."

He didn't really care about being disheartening right now.

***

"I like her," Saphir said quietly once they'd reached the carriage. Reynolds or one of the other servants had brushed the horses while they were inside, and the carriage driver looked pleased with the result. He jumped onto the seat as Saphir and his mother approached, and Reynolds opened the door for them to enter.

"I'm glad, Saphir," said Lady wyon Neiss, in the tone she used when she wasn't really listening.

Saphir frowned. "But she actually liked me too! I mean, usually people don't talk to me that much, they end up talking to Jade instead, but she was really interested and really nice… and she likes fontech too!"

"Well, let's hope you haven't exhausted your conversation topics, since you're going to see her again in two days." Reynolds closed the carriage door and motioned that it was clear to the driver. The carriage began to move.

With a sigh, Saphir turned away. His mother wasn't listening. Oh well, he'd just tell Jade about it later.

"Can the driver drop me off at the lab instead of at home?"

Now Lady wyon Neiss looked up. "Of course, Saphir. I was just thinking, I haven't visited your father in a while, and the lab is on the way anyways. Unless you'd like to come with?"

"No thank you." Jade was more important.

***

Books. Change of clothes. Writing paper and pencils. More books. Jade really didn't need much – ignoring the blankets and pillow, he could carry everything he had at the lab in one bag, even the things he'd forgotten there. He spared a glance for Saphir's portion of the room and sighed. They'd have to back a cart up to the door to get all his stuff out, and that was only considering the things officially in his part of the room, ignoring all the cosmetics and books and Yulia only knew what else that had found its way into drawers and cabinets.

Jade swung the bag onto one shoulder and took one last look at the lab. They'd have to come in later to dismantle the machinery. Even if they still received money, there was no way to run the replication machines – Saphir had already done everything possible to reduce the energy use without sacrificing functionality, and it still cost quite a bit to run the machines even once a week. It just took too much energy to form the fonons into a complete and functional human being. Jade supposed this was why it normally took nine months and why the beings formed were considerably smaller.

There was the big glyph on the floor that needed to be scrubbed out and filled in. The cabinets that needed to be cleared out of all the specialized equipment. Even the door locks needed to be removed – Jade had installed extras after an accidental entrance by a confused soldier-in-training.

The lab had to look like no one had ever touched it.

He let the image of the lab burn itself into his mind, and then turned to leave.

Just in time for Saphir to smash headlong into him.

Jade found himself on the floor staring at the ceiling (at the extra lights, those needed to go too) with a gasping Saphir on his chest. All in all, not the most pleasant position. He brought one arm up and shoved Saphir onto the ground.

"Perhaps you need new glasses, you don't seem able to detect a person standing five feet from you."

"S-sorry," gasped Saphir, pushing himself up. "B-but I wanted to get here… in time to work…"

"You're too late." Jade got to his feet. "Military command cut funding. Starting today we're only getting half the money we were. We have to shut down the project."

Saphir fell silent. A rarity.

"… b-but –"

"But what? Unless you can find some magical unending source of money, we're done. Do you know how much it takes to power one of those machines? Not even to use it, just keep it in stasis and ready to work? Just one? We have _three_." Jade turned on the heel of his boot, looked down at Saphir. "And don't give me anything about reducing the energy cost. You know very well that the only way to do that is to sacrifice accuracy and functionality, and _we can't afford that_ if we want to make a breakthrough. The project's finished."

"Y-you can't accept defeat like that!"

Wonderful, a shouting match. "Do you have a plan, then? Rob a bank? Convince command to shut down Project Tartarus – which, by the way, _is _producing results, and much sooner than we would have?"

"Give it a few days! They can't shut us down like –"

In one fast movement Jade knelt and dragged back Saphir's head by his hair, so Saphir's eyes met his. "Yes, they can."

Saphir shuddered. Jade let go of his hair, and stood, and turned back to the door.

"… what about private funding?"

Jade laughed. "From who? My dead parents? Your insane father? The Major and the doctor, who personally told me how useless our project was?"

"If you really loved Professor Nebilim – !"

Saphir stopped. Jade had turned back, red eyes glowing in the dull light of the overhead lights.

"If I really loved her what? Do tell, Saphir."

Saphir looked away. "… if I can get private funding within a week, will you convince command to not cut the remaining?"

Jade was quiet for a moment, then turned to the door again.

"If you can get us private funding, I will" _probably drink myself to death – better to die from the bottle than from humiliation. Then again, it would be less painful to _"drop dead on the spot."

And then he left.

Saphir called after him, "Big deal! Then I'll get the patent money!"

***

_A/N: More Jade and more Clair, and the first major interaction between Jade and Saphir. Saphir's so ridiculously feminine, literary conventions demand that his father must either be conspicuously absent or overbearingly masculine. I chose the former, just because it's easier. But of course there must be a reason for the absence._

_Until next chapter…_


End file.
